Early 19th century boxwood netsuke of a man carrying a cloth bundle on its back with a boy’s head sticking out of it, while a huge dragonfly landed on the father’s sleeve. Wood is lacquered in Negoro style - red lacquer over black, so as it wears the black starts showing, and then the wood. The fronts of his feet have been reattached, repair is done very well, the figure stands on its own. Excellent faces, beautifully worn, really nice feel of age to the piece. Height 2 3/16 inches.

Late 18th - early 19th century staghorn netsuke of Shoki (Demon Queller) with a sword in one hand, the other one raised to hold his head with a terrified oni crouching on top of it, a sword scabbard on his back. Very strong early carving, wonderful intensely staring expression as he looks up towards his hat. Beautiful mellow patina, large deep himotoshi typical for the period, usual staghorn porous areas in the material...

19th century netsuke carved as a cluster of 9 theatrical masks, most probably all from the same play. Excellent carving, great faces, beautiful staining. Hollowed inside in the manner of ryusa netsuke, wonderful wear and patina.. Length 1 11/16 inches.

19th century wooden netsuke in manju (rice cake) shape carved on the front in low relief with a woman holding in her mouth an object that looks like a hammer striker for a musical instrument, a cloth wrapped top of a biwa (Japanese lute) in her hand and a scaly body of a dragon on her right. The woman is Benten - the Goddess of learning, speech and music - and one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, and the netsuke can be interpreted as a wish for scholarly achievements...

Early 19th century decent size staghorn netsuke of a man wearing a robe decorated with design of numerous scarecrows and gently inclining his head towards his son that he carries on his back. Perfectly captured moment, excellent strong early carving, superb facial expression, wonderful depiction of scarecrows on his robe...

19th century netsuke of widely smiling Okame enveloped in her robe and holding a large wooden spoon in her hands, with a removable round bottom revealing the shunga part of the netsuke. Excellent carving, especially the face with its wide smile, wonderful flow of her robe. The dots on her forehead are inlaid with brown horn. Great pattern to the flow of her robe, expert staining, beautiful patina. Wonderful sculpture - all that a good netsuke should be...

19th century kagamibuta (mirror lid) netsuke with bronze top depicting kneeling Okame covering her mouth with her hand as she modestly giggles at the very suggestive shape of a huge nose of a tengu mask lying in front of her. Excellent metalwork with gold, silver and copper inlays, beautiful amber colored patina on the bowl. Signed YUKIHIRO on the top - the artist is listed on p. 94 of KAGAMIBUTA MIRRORS OF JAPANESE LIFE AND LEGEND by Dieuwke Eijer...

19th century netsuke of seated Kanzan with a wide grin on his face as he holds an open scroll in his hands. Kanzan (Hanshan in Chinese meaning "Cold Mountain”) is believed to have been an eccentric Zen poet from the Tang Dynasty (618–907) who lived on the Tiantang Mountain in Zhejiang Province. According to a legend, Kanzan and his friend Jittoku, who was a kitchen worker at the nearby Guoqing Temple, talked nonsensical language, which some took as a sign of them being enlightened...

19th century netsuke in pillow manju (rice cake) shape depicting the upper part of a Nio (one of the Buddhist Guardian Kings) statue towering over a fence, vajra (Buddhist thunderbolt) clenched in his fist and his scarf billowing above him. The back is decorated with a children’s toy figure on a small spatula and leaves in flight among drifts of fog. Wonderful ferocious face, eyes are inlaid with black horn, hollowed inside, warm patina, pleasant wear...

19th century netsuke of a dog seated on a base, one of its front paws raised, and the bottom of the base carved as a stylized seal with 4 characters. Superbly carved, excellent depiction of its face, limbs and bumpy spine, perfectly executed keyfret design around the base, beautiful staining typical for the artist, wonderful wear and patina...

19th century netsuke in manju (rice cake) form carved in raised relief with a huge sake jar and a shojo leaning on its elbows as it reads a book, the back with a sunken relief carving of a ladle and a sake cup. Shojo are mythical creatures living near the sea, and are particularly fond of sake. Excellent face and lines of the robe, finely incised textile patterns and dripping glaze lines on the jar...

19th century metal and wood kagamibuta (mirror lid) netsuke. Patinated bronze top with inlaid and carved design of a Saizo dancer playing tsuzumi (a hand drum) by a pine sapling and with the moon partially obscured by cloud in the background. Saizo dancers are usually attending Manzai dancers during New Year celebrations. Wonderful quality inlays and detailing - see the ropes of the drum and a sword sticking out of his clothes, copper inlays and gilding. Beautiful patina on both metal and wood...

19th century wooden netsuke of a straw bundle containing eggplants for sale, two of them visible as the bundle is open on one side. Rarely depicted in netsuke, clever design, very nice patina. Length 2 9/16 inches.

19th century netsuke carved as a fox sitting on a base with 4-character seal bottom and scenes with lobsters and shells on the sides. This particular fox represents Inari - the benevolent and well disposed creature, being the messenger of the God of rice and harvest, as opposed to the other foxes, which in Japan are generally believed to be evil creatures. Enlargement 1 shows the seal flipped left to right presenting what the imprint of the seal will look like...

18th century netsuke of sennin (Chinese sage) standing with one foot raised, clad in tiger skin skirt and holding in his hands tassels that support a large woven straw hat on his back. Strong early piece with superb smiling face, beautiful flow to the lines of his skirt. Wonderful wear to the surface from more than 200 years of handling, beautiful yellow patina turning light honey color on the back from wear against the silk of kimono, old age lines. Ivory of triangular section typical for 18th ...

Height: 2.9 cm (1.2 in)
Width: 2.9 cm (1.2 in)
Depth: 1.8 cm (0.8 in)

Fine Japanese ebony seal netsuke of a Shishi; intricate workmanship throughout; seal characters carved to base; excellent condition

Very unusual 19th century netsuke representing a bird in flight. It may be a swallow, but I am not sure. Wonderful spirited carving capturing the essence of the creature with its swiftness, beautiful face, eyes are double inlaid with horn, excellent depiction of different feathers. Great wear and patina, old age lines. Length 2 1/4 inches.

19th century marine netsuke in a form of a woven mat with a bunch of grapes with vines and leaves, and a snail exploring them. The piece is probably carved by a member of Asakusa school with characteristic detailing and staining. The netsuke is hollowed inside, so can be classified as ryusa type. Excellent carving, characteristic beautiful sheen to the surface, wonderful wear and patina. Length 1 1/2 inches.